


All That Matters

by triste



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Genderswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 06:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triste/pseuds/triste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurogane has a secret. Fai wants to know what it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That Matters

Title: All That Matters  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Tsubasa Chronicle  
Pairing: Fai/Kurogane  
Rating: PG  
Warnings: Gender switch  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

Fai's first clue came in the Hanshin Republic when Kurogane had voiced the latest in an ever-growing list of complaints. He complained about the natives, their customs, their buildings and even their food, so it came as no surprise at all to Fai when Sorata kindly provided them with a change of clothes that made Kurogane's face darken in dislike.

"Don't scowl so much, Kuro-pon," Fai chided, ignoring his roommate's grumbling. "Everything in this country is strange and different from what you're used to, I know, but do try to adapt. Besides, you'll only get lots of strange looks if you don't dress appropriately. The sooner we find Sakura-chan's feather the better. Don't you agree?"

"I don't care one way or the other, but the damn manjuu won't move us onto a new world until we've finished our business here," Kurogane said.

"And Kuro-tan would be bored and lonely if Syaoran-kun and I left him behind to mind the house with Arashi-san," teased Fai. "At least this way you'll have something constructive to occupy yourself with, right? Don't you want to go exploring?"

"No," Kurogane answered flatly. "I didn't want to share a room with you either, but that's how things ended up."

"You wound me with your words," said Fai, pouting playfully. "Sharing a room with me can't be that bad. I don't even snore."

"You call me stupid pet names." Kurogane scowled distastefully. "And you stare."

"That's because you're interesting," replied Fai. "That's what people tend to do when they're intrigued by something. It's human nature."

"At things!" snapped Kurogane. "At objects! Not at other people!"

"But Kuro-pii is so attractive," said Fai, grinning. "I just can't help myself."

Kurogane's hand twitched by his left hip, probably wishing he could draw the sword he'd been forced to sell to the Dimension Witch, but that only served to heighten Fai's amusement. He'd never met anyone so quick to anger before, and although he'd omitted a fair few truths to his travelling companions, he certainly hadn't been lying when he'd called Kurogane interesting.

Kurogane made a sound of annoyance, picking up the clothing Sorata had lent him and walking over to the door, Fai calling after him in confusion.

"What's wrong, Kuro-rin? I thought you were going to get changed?"

"I *am* getting changed!" Kurogane shouted back. "And don't call me Kuro-rin!"

"Then why are you leaving?" asked Fai.

"Because I'm going to the bathroom," Kurogane told him, speaking very slowly through clenched teeth. "And don't you dare follow me."

"What's wrong with getting changed here? Don't worry. I won't peek. Unless..." Fai's face lit up with glee. "Could it be that Kuro-puu is shy? Is that why you don't like being stared at?"

"Who the hell are you calling shy?"

"I see, now." Fai nodded knowingly. "Short tempered and shy. What a cute combination. But you ought to be more careful," he added, a hint of slyness creeping into his voice. "That kind of attitude just screams 'come and play with me'. It tends to attract very bad men who are looking to take advantage of you."

Fai took great pleasure in watching Kurogane's face turn three different shades of red, and he waited for the predictable explosion of anger, but Kurogane surprised him by keeping his mouth shut tight for the first time since they'd arrived in Hanshin. Instead, he simply turned on his heel, stormed over to the door and kicked it down on his way out.

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to destroy the property of their hosts, Fai thought to himself as he listened to the sound of Kurogane's footsteps stomping across the hall, but his curiosity was well and truly piqued.

He'd already forgotten about keeping his distance the way he'd intended to before setting off on his journey.

~~

Kurogane's complaints died down a little when they reached the country of Koryo, but not by much. He hadn't appreciated being forced to fix rooftops while Syaoran, Sakura and Chunyan went shopping, and he definitely hadn't appreciated being forced to do it alone while Fai sipped tea and supervised his work, but for once he didn't make some derisive comment about the dress code of their latest world.

"I don't know how to put this on," said Fai when the children returned and Syaoran offered him his share of the bounty Sakura had won in a lottery game, turning the garment over in his hands. "Do you know, Kuro-tan?"

"Of course I don't," said Kurogane. "We don't wear stuff like this where I come from."

"Does Kuro-mii come from a very warm country, perhaps?" inquired Fai. "Do you feel the cold easily? You haven't taken your cloak off once since we arrived here. Aren't you hot from doing all that hammering?"

"If you're worried about something like that, then you should have helped out instead of being so lazy!"

"But you were doing such a good job on your own. I didn't want to get in the way. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to indulge in more Kuro-pin ogling."

"Excuse me," Syaoran said nervously. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but the clothes in this country really aren't that difficult to put on. I can teach you how. If it's not too much trouble, that is."

"Please do," Fai trilled. "You teach me, Syaoran-kun, and then I'll dress Kuro-chan directly myself."

"You'll do no such thing," Kurogane warned, hefting his hammer. "Unless you want that head of yours smashed into."

It was another ten minutes before Syaoran could demonstrate how to wear Koryo clothing appropriately, what with Fai poking Kurogane's cheek repeatedly and calling him scary and barbaric which led to Kurogane chasing Fai and threatening to put his hammer to its intended use, but eventually he succeeded.

"This shouldn't be too difficult," said Fai once Syaoran had left. "Are you sure you don't need any assistance, Kuro-pyon?"

"Positive," Kurogane grunted making sure his back was turned to Fai. "Hurry up and change. I'll see to myself when you're gone."

"Honestly," sighed Fai as he began to undress himself, "we're not strangers anymore. I don't mind being in the same room as you while I get changed, so why should you? Is it a custom of your country that you can't undress in front of someone else? Nihon must be full of reserved and frustrated people if they're forbidden from being naked when they're around each other. How do babies ever get born?"

"They get born just fine, now get a move on," Kurogane said gruffly, but despite how much Fai prodded, no further answers were forthcoming.

~~

Jade Country, although warmer than Celes, was still cold enough to require thick winter outfits. Kurogane never said anything, but he seemed far less disapproving of the long and heavy coats they all wore than anything they'd donned while travelling in previous worlds. Fai also noticed that Kurogane had started keeping an eye on Sakura who, while having retrieved a few feathers already, still had a tendency to nod off at regular intervals and lack awareness of her surroundings.

Just when Fai thought Kurogane had run out of things to complain about, Kurogane proved him wrong, as he tended to do on occasion. Unlike Hanshin and Koryo, the eating utensils of Jade were not familiar to Kurogane. He had some trouble in understanding how to use a knife and fork properly, and Fai couldn't remember laughing as much as he had the first time he witnessed Kurogane attempting to eat a bowl of soup.

It was a nice change of pace, since Fai himself had struggled with the concept of chopsticks while Kurogane used them with enviable ease, and it was equally entertaining to watch Mokona steal the food from only Kurogane's plate.

Their luck continued to hold out, probably because of Sakura, when they secured a place to stay. The villagers were hostile, with good reason, and undoubtedly would not have been as generous as Doctor Kyle.

"The lady gets her own room of course," he announced, nodding to Sakura over the rim of his teacup. "The three gentlemen, however, will have to share. I hope this doesn't prove to be an inconvenience."

"Not at all!" Fai said brightly. "Kuro-pon and I always share a room, after all."

Kyle's eyebrows rose at that, and he bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you two were..." He broke off respectfully and cleared his throat. "In that case, Syaoran-kun should also get his own room to give you some privacy."

Mokona snickered, Sakura looked bewildered, Syaoran looked embarrassed, and Kurogane growled.

"Don't go getting the wrong impression. This guy could sleep outside in the snow for all I care. Then he'd freeze to death and I wouldn't have to put up with his endless prattling and stupidity."

"Kuro-run, that's cruel!" Fai gasped, clasping his hands to his heart in mock sorrow. "Why are you always so mean to me?"

But Kurogane refused to be baited by any of Fai's melodrama, not when he had Mokona squirming around inside his coat. It was a game Mokona apparently seemed to enjoy, because it tried to wriggle under Kurogane's shirt when they retired to their room for the night.

"Will you stop that?" Kurogane said, exasperated, and Mokona swayed happily from side to side as Kurogane dangled it by its tail.

"Mokona wants to snuggle with Kurogane because Kurogane is warm and cosy!"

"You're not snuggling with me! Stop trying to dive down my shirt!"

"Is Kurogane hiding something he doesn't want Mokona to see?"

Fai's ears pricked up immediately, his attention focused more on Kurogane now than on listening to Syaoran reading aloud from the book of fairytales he'd borrowed from the doctor, especially when a faint blush rose up on Kurogane's face to accompany his deepening scowl.

"You can't keep anything from Mokona! Ah!" Mokona dropped its voice and continued in a whisper, "You've been stealing! Kurogane is a naughty boy and takes things he shouldn't!"

"That's it," Kurogane said, getting up and tightening his grip on Mokona's tail so that it couldn't escape. "You're sleeping with the princess tonight."

"Then I'll be sleeping with Kuro-rin!" sang Fai. "This way, maybe I'll find out what it is that he's hiding."

"I'm not hiding anything, and I'm sleeping on the floor," Kurogane declared. "You and the kid can each take a bed. I'm having nothing more to do with either of you."

Fai pretended to sulk, but Kurogane stayed true to his word. He didn't have much of an opportunity to pester Kurogane any more either, not after Sakura mysteriously vanished from her locked room and Doctor Kyle was later revealed to be not quite as gracious and altruistic as he’d made himself out to be.

~~

The country of Outo was a far more relaxing place, Fai soon found, to his delight. Of course, there were matters like locating Sakura's next feather and exterminating oni to take into account, but Fai had complete confidence that Kurogane and Syaoran would handle both matters superbly. Or, as he'd recently dubbed them, "the puppy pair".

Kurogane had become somewhat used to the many pet names Fai bestowed upon him, so much so that he didn't even react anymore whenever Fai would call him by them. Hearing Kurogane ranting and raving over being addressed as "Big Puppy" by not only the other onigari but also Erii the informant and the employees of City Hall, proved to be just as much fun as setting up their new cafe.

For once, their accommodation was spacious enough for each member of the group to have their own rooms. Such privacy had proven to be something of a luxury as of late, one that Kurogane and Syaoran seemed to appreciate. Syaoran was a brooder by nature, and would often retreat to the sanctuary of his bedroom whenever he was trying not to worry Sakura, while Kurogane would claim that he needed space away from other human beings every once in a while to keep himself sane.

In a way, it was a shame. Just as Kurogane had grown accustomed to his pet names, however unwillingly, Fai had grown accustomed to being around, and learning about, his travelling companions. He'd discovered plenty of things about Kurogane already, not only about his personality, but also his habits and quirks.

Kurogane hated sweet things, especially chocolate, but he liked fruit. He didn't care for coffee, but he did drink tea. He liked reading, not just his Maganyan magazines, but actual books. When he could make out the words, that was, but Syaoran, ever helpful, would tactfully offer to read for him in those instances.

Unlike Sakura, who was an extremely restless sleeper, Kurogane would lie on his side with one arm tucked under his head on the pillow and never move a muscle until he awoke.

There was one other piece of information that Fai had gleaned, one that he knew neither Syaoran nor Sakura had picked up on. Kurogane had been grumpy since the moment they'd met, but once a month, every month, Fai noticed that Kurogane would get even more irritable than usual.

He never mentioned anything about it to Kurogane. He didn't want to bring tension to the group with suspicion or accusations. Sakura was gradually regaining her memories along with her energy and enthusiasm, doing what she could to help her comrades. Syaoran had found a mentor in Kurogane who in turn had displayed more patience and wisdom than Fai would have guessed him to possess.

It felt like everyone but him was finding their footing, slowly but surely. They were changing because of each other, and Fai wasn't altogether comfortable with it. Neither was he comfortable with the fact that, just like he had been watching and learning about Kurogane, Kurogane was watching and learning about him. Not only that, but he was beginning to see more than Fai wanted him to.

~~

It came as a relief for Fai to be temporarily separated from Syaoran and Sakura. Kurogane was still there of course, still watching, but Fai pretended not to understand his insinuations while in Sharano and again later, upon their arrival in Yamano. There, he could honestly say that he really couldn't understand Kurogane without Mokona around to translate, and the silence that followed was blissful.

It wasn't fair, Fai thought, for Kurogane to keep his secrets while needling Fai to tell his, but the six months they spent together while waiting for Syaoran and Sakura to make an appearance were not entirely unpleasant. It turned out they could communicate without words, and besides, Kurogane's body language and many facial expressions were always easy to read.

Sometimes, Fai figured he knew what was going through Kurogane's mind. Every morning, without fail, Kurogane would practise with the sword he'd bought in Outo, and Fai would observe him. He knew that Kurogane would wonder if Syaoran was also practising as diligently as he was, and that he hadn't forgotten what he'd been taught.

It was cute, in Fai's opinion, when Kurogane made them act like they didn't recognise Syaoran when he rode into battle at last with Ashura's army. It was his way of testing Syaoran, and he clearly wasn't impressed with the results, but even Kurogane couldn't hide his awkwardness when Syaoran, far from being upset by his teacher's unconventional examination, thanked Kurogane humbly for everything he'd done.

While teacher and student were having their touching reunion, Fai found himself genuinely happy when Sakura rejoined them. He really had missed their company and, with Kurogane grousing about missed drinking opportunities as Mokona whisked them off to the next world, felt grateful to have the children distract him from the very things he didn't want to face.

~~

Because Fai needed entertainment in his life as well as distraction, but also because everyone was growing far too serious and introspective, he decided to bestow yet another nickname upon Kurogane. He was setting a personal record for himself, considering Kurogane was the only person he'd ever even given any kind of nickname before, but he'd forgotten just how funny it was to have Kurogane blowing up in his face.

"Daddy" was clearly far from taken with his new name, and he protested against it vehemently in the technological world of Piffle and also the magical world of Lecourt. It was in Lecourt that Fai unexpectedly gained another clue regarding Kurogane.

The Book of Memories turned out to be exactly what it stated on the cover, as Syaoran found. Fai gave him and Kurogane their time together to discuss whatever Syaoran had seen while in possession of the book. He had some idea of what had taken place, but he didn't pry. Instead, he teased the two of them, saying that all fathers and sons had a few secrets to keep from mothers and daughters.

The humour was lost on Syaoran, who was being even more considerate than usual toward Kurogane. He would watch Kurogane out of the corner of his eye when he thought no one else was looking, Fai noticed, and he blushed around him an awful lot now.

It was all very endearing and adorable; at least until Fai broke the promise he'd made to never use his magic without his tattoo. It was a choice he made willingly, for better or worse, one that would soon be the start of many.

It was only belatedly that he realised making such choices had finally stopped him from running away anymore.

~~

Fai had seen Kurogane angry more times than he could count, but Kurogane's aggravation over silly nicknames was nothing compared to the true blazing intensity he displayed when Fai's second choice came almost at the cost of his own life.

It was the first time he'd seen Kurogane so emotional, Fai thought to himself as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Just as he'd begun making his choices, so did Kurogane. "I don't care about your past," he claimed, but he apparently cared enough about Fai's present and future to do anything in his power to prevent him from dying.

It was the first time Fai had ever called Kurogane by name, but it was necessary in order to force some distance between them. He'd grown close to Kurogane before he'd known it, and although he craved that closeness nearly as much as it stifled him, he had to step back for both their sakes.

Kurogane had betrayed him, in a sense, as had Syaoran. Sakura was the only person left he could seek solace in, but she had her own crushing burden to bear. They couldn't heal each other try as they might. Instead, they only made each other's wounds worse.

Nobody smiled anymore, not even the eternally optimistic Mokona. The Syaoran travelling with them now wasn't "their" Syaoran. Sakura distanced herself from him the same way Fai had distanced himself from Kurogane, who was the only one to treat Syaoran as his own person, who made him feel like he belonged with them, that he wasn't intruding.

So brave. So *noble*. It made Fai want to hate Kurogane, hate him and hurt him, and hurt him he did every time he called him by name. Kurogane had long since resigned himself to it after the initial shock, and it made Fai hate him even more sometimes. It made him wonder why Kurogane refused to break under the pressure. The Kurogane he'd met at the beginning of their journey and the Kurogane currently in front of him were like two completely different people.

Symbiotic. That was their relationship now.

"I can't force you," Kurogane would remind him. "The blood will flow whether you decide to drink it or not."

And drink it Fai did, in spite of all his efforts to avoid bringing misfortune to anyone else.

Kurogane never complained anymore. He was still brutally honest, and he still stood passionately by what he believed in, but he didn't complain anymore.

Fai wondered when he'd changed so much. When had he started caring? Since when had Kurogane been the one to start holding everyone together?

"You've had your way long enough," Kurogane stated, when the time came inevitably for Fai to return to Celes. "We're going to do things my way for once."

~~

Kurogane's way of doing things was predictably straightforward. When Kurogane was in charge, nobody did things alone.

"We're in this together, like it or not," he told Fai, as though the statement should have been obvious.

Kurogane had claimed not to care about his past, but then he had also possessed an uncanny talent for seeing the very things Fai wanted him not to pick up on. He couldn't hide anymore, not when all his lies were finally revealed along with his true motives.

Nobody fought fate like Kurogane. He refused to give up on Fai, even when Fai had already given up on himself. Fai hadn't thought it was possible for Kurogane to surprise him anymore, but then Kurogane went and proved him wrong again. He sacrificed his left arm without a second thought to stop Fai from disappearing out of his life.

~~

It was a good thing Kurogane possessed as much strength as stubbornness, and it was a good thing the country of Nihon had such competent healers. Princess Tomoyo was as kind and accommodating as Fai had imagined, and together they kept vigil by Kurogane's bedside.

When Kurogane came to, Fai did something he'd been wanting to do for a long time. Kurogane never held back, and neither would he know as he repaid the blow Kurogane had given him in Infinity with one of his own.

"Normally I wouldn't dream of inflicting violence on a woman," he said, grinning in satisfaction, "but that's payback, Kuro-sama."

"Bastard," Kurogane swore. "I'm going to beat you up."

Tomoyo merely shook her head amusedly and sighed in a long-suffering manner before excusing herself from Kurogane's room. She smiled and bowed before closing the door and leaving them in silence, and Fai waited.

"How long have you known?" Kurogane asked.

"A while," Fai replied. "You know everything about me, and now I know everything about you. Princess Tomoyo was rather informative while you slept, but I'd still rather hear the words coming from your mouth. Well?" he added, after an expectant pause. "Why Kuro-chu been hiding his gender? Or *her* gender, should I say."

"I thought you said Tomoyo told you everything," Kurogane said evasively.

"But I want to hear it from you," Fai said insistently.

"What a pain in the ass." Kurogane peered over at Fai suspiciously. "Why are you laughing?"

"I'm smiling," Fai corrected. "It's because I haven't heard you say something like that since we were in Piffle World. I'd almost forgotten how cute Kuro-chan can be."

"And you haven't called me by any of those stupid names since we were in Tokyo," Kurogane said, but Fai wasn't about to grant an escape route that easily.

"Tell me," he ordered, and Kurogane scowled in defeat.

"Fine. You've probably heard this from Tomoyo already, but anyway, before my parents died, they were the lord and priestess of our family's land. My mother was sickly, even before I was born, so there was no chance of her having any more children after me with such bad health. If I'd been born male, I would have been my father's heir and eventually succeeded him. Being born female wouldn't have been so bad if it meant succeeding my mother as priestess, but I don't have that kind of power."

"You mentioned before," recalled Fai. "Back in Jade country."

"I couldn't cast spells, or create wards to protect Suwa from monsters," Kurogane continued. "I don't have the ability to cross into dreams. Not many priestesses do. Tomoyo is one of the only few that can."

"So you chose the way of the sword instead," Fai concluded. "How cool! Warrior princess Kuro-tan! But," he added, before Kurogane could start swearing at him again, "I still don't understand why you went out of your way to disguise your real gender."

"Like a woman soldier would ever be taken seriously," Kurogane scoffed. "And a young one at that. Pretending to be just another one of guys made my life that much easier."

"But what about Souma-san?" Fai asked. "She's the bodyguard of the priestess princess. And what about Princess Tomoyo's older sister? Isn't she the emperor of your country?"

"Souma and Amaterasu are different," Kurogane argued. "They only have positions of power because they're so scary."

"Kuro-rin is also scary," Fai pointed out, "and I don't see you ruling over anyone. Which is what you would have done if things were different and you'd taken over your parents' duties. But how would that have worked out? If you'd married a man into the family to be your husband, would he have had to cross dress and pretend to be a woman? Do the men of this country even have priestess powers?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kurogane muttered. "I never had the chance to think that far ahead. Not that it matters anymore. Suwa is gone, and its people along with it. I'm all that's left, the last of my kin."

"I'm sure we could rectify that," said Fai, smirking slyly, and it took a few seconds for Kurogane to understand before blushing furiously at the implication. "But still, thank goodness you're such a capable actor. I don't even want to contemplate what might have happened in Yamano if your cover had been blown. Poor Kuro-tan at the mercy of all those sex-starved soldiers..."

"Don't be so disgusting!" Kurogane snapped, but Fai wasn't listening.

"I was taken-aback, by the way," he said. "I helped out a little when the healers were doing their work. I even bathed you while you were asleep. Your breasts are smaller than I expected. No wonder you were able to pass as a man so easily, but I suppose wearing things like cloaks and long coats made it even easier. They're small because you hate milk, right? I'm sure they would be bigger if you drank more of it. Sakura-chan will probably outgrow you in another couple of years, and you don't want that now, do you? Kuro-wanko is so competitive, after all."

"Don't think I can't wring your neck with just one hand," Kurogane growled, face turning an even deeper shade of scarlet, but Fai merely smiled and touched a hand to Kurogane's left shoulder.

"We're a mess, aren't we?" he said sadly, toying with the empty sleeve. "I lost an eye, you lost an arm..."

"I don't give a damn," Kurogane said frankly. "We're alive. That's all that matters."

It was such a characteristically blunt response that Fai couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying when he leaned in and brought his face close to Kurogane's, but he could taste salt on Kurogane's lips when they kissed.

He was still deathly afraid of the past repeating itself, that he would lose Kurogane the same way he'd lost everyone else he'd ever cared for, and it was because of that fear that he wanted to be strong, strong enough for both of them.

~~

For a while it almost seemed as if they wouldn't get their happy ending, but the power of love and friendship and justice prevailed, as it so often did when the heroes' mission basically involved rescuing the girl, defeating the bad guy and saving the world. It didn't take long for Sakura to get over her initial surprise when she found that "daddy" was really her mommy, but she gladly invited Fai and Kurogane to remain in Clow Kingdom as long as they liked.

They stayed for a few months, not in the palace as Sakura had requested, but in a very cosy (or cramped, as Kurogane frequently complained) little house that bore more resemblance to an upside-down flower pot than an actual abode, but it was quaint and functional and theirs, however temporary.

One evening, after the two of them had finished eating dinner, Fai brought up the subject they'd tacitly agreed not to discuss yet.

"Well, Kuro-rin," he said. "Where do we go from here?"

"Hell if I know," Kurogane grunted.

"You've always been so adamant about returning to Nihon, but now I get the feeling you're starting to change your mind."

"I can't go home showing my face like this," Kurogane retorted.

"Ah, but it's not your face that you're worried about showing," said Fai, staring pointedly at Kurogane's swollen stomach. "We really ought to decide what to do before our vampire ninja baby arrives."

"It's your fault," said Kurogane. "You'd better take responsibility."

"I *am* taking responsibility," said Fai. "I am also being more mature about this than you, silly Kuro-pon. Contrary to what you appear to believe, being butch is not an effective form of contraception."

"It always worked before."

"I'm more persistent and observant than other people."

"You just have a death wish."

"So you say, but I don't remember you putting up much of a fight when I had my way with you for the first time."

"I'd lost a limb. I was missing a lot of blood. I obviously wasn't thinking properly."

"And this conversation is getting us nowhere, so let's get back to the point, shall we?" Fai held up a hand before Kurogane could argue, saying, "No more lies, remember? I'm telling the truth when I say that I like it here. So do you. The desert heat makes me wilt, but the people here are kind. I'm willing to stay here if that's what you want. I don't have a place to go back to, but you do. For me, home is wherever Kuro-tan happens to be."

"Even if we do end up staying here, it's not like I can't ever return someday," said Kurogane.

"I'm sure Princess Tomoyo will be happy with whatever you decide, although I'm sure she would be even happier if you went home so she could dress you up like she's always been longing to do."

"In that case, I'll only go back when I'm too old and senile to care."

"Then it's settled. We're staying in Clow Kingdom." Fai rubbed his hands in accomplishment before moving briskly on. "That's one decision out of the way, so let's take care of the others. We're still naming our firstborn after Mokona, right?"

"No, we're not," said Kurogane. "And what makes you think that we're having any more?"

"Because," said Fai, "although I may be gay, I have absolutely no aversion to sleeping with a woman as manly as Kuro-myu. Besides, I like children. Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun are also looking forward to meeting their little brother or sister."

"You really are a hopeless idiot," Kurogane muttered. "You know that, right?"

Fai's only answer was a smile.

 

End.


End file.
